


Like A Star

by love_killed_the_superstar



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, Gen, Parent-Child Relationship, Parenthood, basically a what-if scenario
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-16
Updated: 2018-03-22
Packaged: 2018-10-05 23:34:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,506
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10320098
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_killed_the_superstar/pseuds/love_killed_the_superstar
Summary: Anecdotes of the newest human addition to the ever-growing Crystal Gems.(In a not so distant future, through careful planning Pearl and Sheena bring a human baby into the world. Pearl continues to love humanity and Sheena is insistent that this baby definitely IS NOT a gem.)





	1. favourite little human

**Author's Note:**

> Got talking with a lovely bunch last night about the possibility of Pearl and Sheena having a human baby, and ever since then I haven't been able to get the idea out of my head. I've been drawing her all over my art blog and also fanfic happened... I seriously don't have enough time to be doing all this but I guess when you're a serial procrastinator this is what happens.  
> Anyway, this is more of those 'random anecdotes' fics than actually having a plot. So yeah.

Pearl gazed down in adoration at the sleeping child before her. She had been fascinated watching Steven sleep as he grew up, but there was something different about it being her own child. Steven had spent most of his infancy with Greg, and though Pearl watched him like a hawk whenever they babysat (she had heard rumours of SIDS, and was constantly terrified Steven would spontaneously die on her watch) it wasn't exactly frequent, and she had been nervous around babies. Now that she had her own, while there was that nagging worry that her baby daughter would suddenly stop breathing, it was mostly fascination and pure love that pulled her over to the crib, like a magnet.

Baby Star was only a week old, and Pearl had scarcely left her side in all that time. Sheena had needed rest after the birth, and the gems had missions, so Pearl was adamant not to leave her newborn daughter alone until everyone had recovered from the stress-filled first week of the baby's life.

“You're wonderful,” she whispered, reaching out to stroke the side of her chubby cheek. The baby stirred and reached out for Pearl's hand without even opening her eyes, instinctively knowing her mother's hands would be there to squeeze, and she gummed on the end of one of Pearl's fingers. Human bodily fluids aside, it was one of the most adorable things Pearl had ever been a part of, and she could barely hold in her giggles as joy threatened to pour out of her.

“You'll wake her if you start laughing,” came a low voice from behind her. “Remember what happened last time?”

Pearl turned around to see Sheena, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

“Did I wake you? I'm sorry.”

“It's okay, I needed the bathroom anyway. How is she?”

Even Sheena couldn't hide the excitement on her face as she neared the crib. Pearl beamed proudly.

“She's sleeping soundly. In fact, she hasn't woken since you last fed and changed her.”

Sheena's eyebrows raised. “That's impressive. Most babies aren't as docile as her, according to all the new mom forums online.”

“Steven was never a fussy baby, either,” Pearl mused. “Though I can't be sure about when he was quite this young. Maybe she does still have some gem in her?”

“If she was part gem you wouldn't be standing here right now,” Sheena pointed out uneasily. “So lets rule out that explanation. Maybe she's calm because she's had a guardian angel watching over her since she came out of me, ever think of that?”

Pearl blushed. “I don't know about an angel. But I suppose she must feel relaxed, knowing if anything or anyone comes for her they'll have to get through me.”

“She knows from the stories you used to tell her before she was born, that her mommy is a terrifying renegade,” Sheena joked, and Star's grip on Pearl's hand tightened ever so slightly, brow furrowed as she dreamed. “Star knows she is possibly the safest baby on the planet.”

  


…

  


“Oh, Greg!”

Greg peered up from the van he was rinsing, and cracked a grin as his eyes fell on the gems approaching the car wash. Steven was making conversation with Amethyst, Garnet was holding a bag presumably full of baby supplies, and Pearl and Sheena were walking side by side, cooing over a bundle in Sheena's arms.

“So I finally get to meet the little lady?” Greg teased. “I've seen pictures from Steven, of course, but seeing her in person is a whole different matter.”

“Well, it's good to see you too,” Pearl said with a smile. “I know we've had our fair share of disagreements over the years, but I do trust you, and it would be wonderful if you held a place in Star's life too.”

As Garnet and Steven went around the back of the office to grab some extra chairs, Sheena unwrapped the baby from her cocoon of blankets. She was clad in a pale green baby hat and a sunny yellow onesie that made her look a little like a flower. Sheena knew on some level that Star didn't need as many layers as Pearl had bundled her in, but that it came from a place of caring. And, she mused, it was only just coming up to spring, so it was still a little chilly.

“All right, let me get a good look at her,” Greg grinned. “It's not every day you meet a baby gem after all.”

Pearl and Sheena exchanged glances.

“Greg,” Pearl began. “You do realise if Star was part gem I wouldn't be here, don't you?”

Greg stopped in his tracks. “I mean, yeah, it was explained to me at the time, but... she's really not a gem? Not even a little bit?”

“We were able to both survive the procedure by creating a purely human child,” Pearl explained, pushing a strand of hair back distractedly. “She may have my artificial DNA and it's too early to tell if she has any gem traits like durability and enhanced strength, but rest assured, she doesn't have a gem stone and she is 100% organic.”

“You're making her sound like corn or something,” Sheena grumbled. Star cooed in reply, and Greg shrugged.

“Now that I'm up to speed, can I take a look at the newest addition to the Crystal Gems?”

Sheena carefully handed Star over, and Greg peered down at her in fascination.

“She has your honker, Pearl,” he grinned, and Pearl rolled her eyes fondly.

“She does.”

“And she's so small!”

“You wouldn't have said that if you were there for the delivery,” Sheena grimaced.

“Well, the midwife said that she was quite a hefty baby,” Pearl said, pleased. “But I suppose she is still very fragile and weak at this stage of her life.”

Greg admired Star as Steven and Garnet returned with chairs, and the gems set up a small circle beside the van.

“I didn't want to get her a gift until I knew a bit more about her,” Greg apologised, bouncing her a little as she stirred. “You can have some of Steven's old baby clothes, but it'll have to wait until next time.”

“Oh, please,” scoffed Pearl. “We didn't bring her here for your charity, Greg, although it is very kind of you to offer a gift to her. We simply wanted you to meet her, that's all.”

“You're part of the family too,” Sheena said with a smile. “It just makes sense for us all to gather here like this.”

“Well, you've made one adorable baby,” Greg chuckled. “It'll take the lot of you to raise this little one, won't it?”

“We certainly have our work cut out for us,” Pearl declared with a beaming smile. “Parenthood is no walk in the park, as you might say! But I'm more than determined to give her all that I can, and if you're willing, we really would like for you to be a part of her life too, Greg.”

Star grabbed onto his finger with her tiny hand, and he knew in an instant that there would be no refusing.

  


…

  


Star yawned and stretched out her limbs, mouth wide, eyes screwed up tight with the effort of intaking more oxygen. When she blinked open again sleepily, Sheena beamed.

“Hey there, cutie pie,” she cooed, lifting the baby out of the crib gently and supporting her head. “Your mama is out on a mission today, so it's just you and me!”

“And me!” Steven called from the bathroom. Star's eyes popped a little at Steven's disembodied voice, and she made a whining noise in the back of her throat as her eyes flickered uncertainly around the room.

Sheena giggled and teased Star's lips with her finger, humming when Star latched on expectantly. “Okay, little miss, time for lunch.”

She moved Star under her shirt and leaned back with a sigh when Star began to feed. Life hadn't seemed to slow down since their daughter had been born, and though she enjoyed motherhood a lot more than she originally thought she would, sometimes it was nice to get a moment to herself.

Steven exited the bathroom and quickly made his way over to the kitchen area, tactfully avoiding looking in Sheena's general direction as he began preparing lunch.

“How's she doing?”

“Oh, you know, she's just being a baby,” Sheena said with a shrug. “I think she only woke up for lunch, she'll be asleep again in no time.”

“Ah, the simple life and times of being a baby,” Steven said with a wistful sigh. “No worries, no responsibilities, just getting to sleep and sleep.”

Sheena grinned. “You're telling me. To be young and free again... How come you didn't go on the mission today, Steven?”

“Oh, it was in some underwater dome,” Steven explained sullenly. “Can't go on missions if I can't breathe, after all.”

“Well, you can keep me and Star company, then.”

As Star finished up, Sheena pulled her away and wiped a trail of milk from the baby's lips.

“There! Did you enjoy that, little girl?”

The baby blinked up at her mutely in reply, and Sheena trailed a cloth over her shoulder before going to pat Star's small back. Steven brought his bagel over to sit beside them, and he watched her quietly as he ate.

“I still can't believe she's here,” he mumbled. “She's... it's so wild, it feels like only a few years ago you and Pearl were total strangers.”

“Life works in mysterious ways,” Sheena said with a shrug. “I never expected to be raising a baby with my super cool alien girlfriend a few years down the line. They're both worth every second of it, though.”

Steven grinned.

“Yeah. I don't think I've ever seen Pearl so happy. She really loves Star.”

“I know she's taken a long time getting used to being around humans,” Sheena said, patting Star's back a little more firmly as she began to whimper. “So I was a bit worried about the idea of us having a fully human child. But honestly, I wouldn't trade her for anything. It's good to know that Pearl wouldn't either.”

Star spit up a little with a sudden burp, and Sheena and Steven exchanged grins.

“What would you rate that, Steven?”

“Oh, a high seven for sure,” Steven said seriously, clapping his hands in quiet applause. Star peered over Sheena's shoulder at Steven, small eyes darting all over before spotting where the noise was coming from.

Sheena lifted Star down and tucked her into her arms once more. “That's better, isn't it? All better now.”

Star's little tongue poked out slightly as she reached to tug on pink strands of hair.

“It's weird not being the youngest anymore,” Steven murmured. “Like, it's weird that Star might look up to me one day. Is it weird that I feel like a big brother? I know the gems aren't my moms, but they've helped raise me, so...”

“I don't think it's weird,” Sheena said with a soft smile. “Like you said, the gems brought you up, so Star really is like your sister.”

Steven's smile widened, and he reached over to stroke the petal soft skin of her baby cheek. Star took this as a personal challenge and reached for his finger, immediately trapping him.

“She's got a pretty strong grip for a baby,” he joked. “Maybe she'll be a pro wrestler one day.”

“She does give off that vibe,” Sheena mused in agreement. At that moment the warp pad activated, and Star let out a squeal and wrenched her gaze away from Steven, craning her weak neck to peek at the intense blue light fanning outwards from the warp pad.

The gems stepped off and Pearl immediately rushed over to where the trio were sat, uncaring of the water she was dripping all over the floor.

“Oh, sorry we took so long!” she apologised, giving Sheena a quick peck on the cheek. “It was a lot harder to capture the gem than we originally thought.”

Sheena blinked. “Pearl, you've only been gone half an hour.”

Pearl stopped in her tracks.

“Really?”

“That's what we've been telling you, P,” grumbled Amethyst, wringing out her hair. “That was like, one of the shortest missions we've ever been on. Seriously.”

“Oh.” Pearl blushed a little, fidgeting with her hands. “It felt like a lot longer than that.”

“You missed the baby, didn't you?” Sheena teased with a knowing smile.

“Well, of course I did!” Pearl exclaimed. She reached for a towel from the laundry pile and began to dry off. “Star and I have hardly been apart since she was born, I was worried about her!”

“Well, she's doing just fine. She's had some lunch and me and Steven have been keeping her company. There was no room for her to feel sad about you being gone, I promise.”

Pearl exhaled. “Right, right. My apologies, Sheena. I just wanted to make sure she was okay.”

Star babbled incoherently at Pearl, recognising the blue of her tunic more than anything else, and Pearl's face instantly melted into a smile.

“Well,” she began, lifting Star out of Sheena's arms and holding her close, “since I'm here now, I might as well spend some quality time with my favourite little human, shouldn't I?”

Sheena began to laugh, shaking her head in resign.

“You're hopeless, you know that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to write more about Star in the future, maybe when she's older. And maybe a chapter on Sheena's pregnancy if people care about that. I guess I'll just write more when it strikes me again. In the meantime, for some visuals hop on over to my art blog: http://art-killed-the-superstar.tumblr.com/tagged/mystery-pearl-fan-kid


	2. in capable (?) hands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which star pukes, pearl has an existential crisis and sheena, as usual, takes care of everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> vomit warning for this chapter i guess?? it's pretty tame but whatever.  
> for some reason this one idea started out as a funny scenario and turned into pearl questioning how she can be trusted with a baby human, so. oops i guess! because it got out of hand i figured i'd just upload it like this. thanks for the support on chapter 1 you guys!

The moment that Pearl warped back in, she was met with the sight of Sheena bouncing an irritable Star, one arm in the sleeve of her jacket, and visibly frantic.

“Pearl!” she all but yelped, and Pearl immediately rushed to her side.

“Sheena, what's going on? Where's the danger? Is Star okay?!” she fretted.

“She's fine, just hungry,” Sheena promised, hastily handing the grouchy baby into Pearl's arms. “Look, I need to head out for a supply run, we're running low on diapers. Think you can feed her for me? I left a bottle in the fridge, just needs to be warmed up. You can do that, right?”

“Of course I can, I fed Steven a few times!” Pearl said indignantly. “And I really think you should stay here and rest, Sheena. Your body is still recovering from a highly taxing birth and I am more than capable of going to the store-”

“I need to get out,” Sheena groaned. “I know you guys mean well but I'm going stir-crazy in this house! I love Star just as much as you do, but I need space, away from her and this house and all of you, and if that means just walking down to the store I'll take it.”

“I... oh.” Pearl frowned, gnawing on her lip. “I'm sorry if, if you feel like we're crowding you, Sheena.”

“You don't have to apologise,” she exhaled, slipping on the other sleeve tiredly. “I know it comes from a place of caring, but I need a break from everything. I'll only be a half hour, okay? I love you.”

“I love you too,” echoed Pearl. “And... take as long as you need, all right? Like I said, I've fed Steven before, and Garnet fed Star with a bottle just a few days ago, so I'm sure I can take this on!”

“I believe in you,” Sheena said with a smile, before leaning over to press a quick kiss to her cheek. She reached down to pet Star's cheek. “Be good for your mama now, okay?”

Star whined, and Sheena quickly pointed over to the fridge before heading out the door. As it slammed shut behind her, Pearl peered down at her daughter, who was squirming angrily in her arms.

“Yes, all right, I know,” Pearl soothed, retrieving the bottle. “We'll get you fed right away, Star, and there is no need to create a fuss.”

She warmed the milk on the stove as hurriedly as she could, talking gently to the baby, who was becoming increasingly upset as the minutes wore on. It was a miracle that the milk was ready in time before Star threw an overly dramatic tantrum over being denied her food. Pearl also brewed a cup of peppermint tea in the hopes of the scent calming Star down as it so often helped her, but the calming effects of the aromatic tea did no favours for Star, who ignored it in favour of wailing her little heart out.

“Now there's no need for that,” Pearl said evenly, trying not to sound too stern. After all, it wasn't like Star would understand that the tone of her words came from loving discipline, and it would only cause more tears. She made herself comfortable on the couch, bringing the tea with her, and made sure Star's head was fully supported before bringing the bottle to her lips. Star hungrily drank, grabbing the bottle with both hands, and Pearl found herself pulling it away on more than a few occasions.

“You should really slow down or you'll make yourself sick,” she lightly scolded. “I know you must be very hungry, but I assure you you'll only feel worse if you rush things.”

The baby paid no mind to her words, and Pearl sighed in resign, reluctantly allowing her to continue. When the bottle was empty, Pearl lay Star down beside her, supported by couch cushions, and took a few quick gulps of tea. It was still scalding hot, but the pain had no effect on her – in fact, there was something grounding about the intensity of the heat in her mouth, and a sense of euphoria washed over her. Yes, Star could be quite the irritable baby at times, but she was doing okay, and Sheena would be back soon. She could understand Sheena's frustrations; watching over Star was incredibly tiring, and for Sheena's short life, it must have seemed an unbearably long time to escape for even a moment.

Still, after serving a certain foul-tempered diamond for millennia, Pearl still found taking care of Star to be a reward in itself, even when she was grumpy.

As she set down the now empty cup on the coffee table, Star began to grumble.

“What is it?” Pearl soothed. She lifted the baby up gently and inhaled. All she could smell was the delightfully unique baby scent, and the slight trace of baby milk – so no need for a diaper change. “Do you need physical contact? Are you tired?”

Star offered no answers, just began to huff and whine again, threatening more tears. At that moment the temple door opened and Amethyst emerged, with a stack of empty and partially eaten plates.

“Yo,” she drawled, dumping the stack of plates in the sink. “How's baby life treating you?”

“It's going just fine,” Pearl said tightly. “Amethyst, I can't seem to work out why Star is crying.”

“Has she pooped?” Amethyst flopped down beside her. “Might need to change her.”

“No, it's not that,” Pearl huffed, rocking Star tiredly. “She was hungry when Sheena went out, so I fed her, but now she won't stop crying.”

Amethyst quirked a brow. “Did you burp her yet?”

“Oh!” Pearl flinched so suddenly that Star whimpered in protest, her tiny fingernails digging into Pearl's shoulder hard. “Oh, you're right, I haven't! She must be in a lot of pain!”

“Naw, she's just gassy,” Amethyst said, rolling her eyes. “Gotta give her a thump on her back, like how Sheena does.”

“I've... never done it before,” Pearl admitted. “It completely slipped my mind.”

“Well if you're too chicken to do it, I can give her a go,” Amethyst offered.

“No! No, I can do it,” Pearl said quickly. She swallowed, and peered down at her daughter, who was grumbling unhappily and squirming in her arms. “It will be fine. I'm a careful gem. I can handle relieving Star's gas, no problem!”

Amethyst smirked. “Go on then.”

Pearl gingerly sat Star in her lap, being sure to keep her head and back supported, and her hand hesitated as it hovered over the back of Star's shoulders.

“Come on, do it!” urged Amethyst, and in a rush Pearl slammed the palm of her hand into Star's back. Star spluttered violently, and out came a slew of milk that stained Pearl's tunic. There was stunned silence for a moment, before Amethyst threw back her head and began to laugh. Star, seeming to realise that this wasn't how burping was supposed to be, began to cry. And Pearl, the moment the strong odour of baby milk and stomach acid hit her nose, heaved.

 

…

 

“I leave for half an hour,” Sheena groaned, “and you barfed on the baby?!”

“I'm sorry,” Pearl sniffled, dabbing at Star's damp hair as the baby continued to wail. “It – it was a chain reaction, I didn't mean to hurt her!”

“She's not a gem, she's a human baby,” Sheena said gently, checking the temperature of the sink water before gently taking Star from Pearl's arms and lowering her in. “You just need to be more careful with her, that's all. Did she seem all right, other than projectiling on you?”

Pearl nodded, scrubbing at her eyes with one fist. “Yes, I don't think I caused any damage, besides scaring her, that is.”

“She might need another feed again after this since practically the entire contents of the bottle is on your shirt,” Sheena mused, and Pearl's face scrunched up in disgust. “But I reckon she'll be okay. Do you, uh, wanna get cleaned up?”

“Oh. Oh, right.” Pearl phased into a clean shirt and exhaled, dragging a shaking hand through her hair. “Sheena, I'm so sorry. I, I was so confident I could do this, but all I did was hurt Star and create a mess.”

“Neither of you stained the couch, so consider the mess forgotten,” Sheena said dryly. “And yeah, you might have hurt Star, but it's pain that she'll forget in time and you'll be more careful in future. No biggie.”

“How can you say that?”

“It was an accident,” Sheena said firmly, lathering Star's body in pale purple baby soap that smelled of lavender. “I know you adore our baby and you wouldn't dream of hurting her on purpose. It was an accident.”

“It doesn't change that I could have seriously hurt her!” Pearl protested, hugging herself as she felt her body begin to tremble. “The kind of damage I could have inflicted on her...”

“You can't keep thinking about the what ifs. Look at her. Do you think she would want her mama to be so worked up over this?”

Pearl forced herself to look down to where her daughter was sat in the bath. The tears and trauma forgotten with the calming scent of baby body wash, Star peeked up at Pearl and babbled incoherently. Pearl shakily reached a hand out, and Star's fist grabbed onto her index finger and tugged.

“See? The handshake of forgiveness. As far as baby Star is concerned, she's willing to let bygones be bygones,” Sheena said with a shrug. She offered Pearl a reassuring grin, and with teary eyes, Pearl managed to smile back.

“Human life is so fragile. It's easy to forget that sometimes, being as old as I am.”

“How long have you been here? Been alive?” Sheena asked, genuinely curious. Pearl clasped her hands together nervously.

“Just over five thousand, three hundred years ago I arrived here on Earth. But I've been in existence for around eight thousand Earth years. When you're this old, you forget just how easy it is for human life to be snuffed out. Knowing that I could have really hurt Star, I don't think I've been that scared in a long time.”

Sheena stared at Pearl for a long moment, before turning back to Star and gently lifting her out of the bath and wrapping her up in a soft yellow baby towel.

“Eight thousand years,” she muttered. “That's... that's a really long time.”

“I'm sorry. I know that's a... a big part of my life to leave out.”

“So you're eight thousand, and I'm not even thirty.”

“Are you mad?” Pearl asked in a quiet voice.

“What? No, of course not.” Sheena turned her back to Pearl, rubbing Star dry. Star's eyes blinked sleepily up at her. “You can't help who you are, or how old you are. It's just a lot to take in.”

“I promise I'll be more careful with her,” Pearl pleaded. “I'll know my limits, I'll take extra precautions. I don't want to lose you two because of this.”

Sheena turned to face her, Star cradled close to her chest, and the alarm that was there on her face stunned Pearl into silence.

“You really think I would take her away from you because of this?” she asked incredulously. Pearl's face flushed a deep teal.

“I... I don't know,” she fumbled. “After today, I don't know how you could possibly trust me with such a fragile baby.”

“I trust you because I love you,” Sheena said seriously, reaching up to cup her cheek. “You're her mother too, Pearl. It was an accident. Please don't keep beating yourself up over it.”

“It could have damaged her.”

“But it didn't.”

“I know that.”

“So be quiet. Don't let this stop you from being with her.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> soooo let me know what you think! and if you have any prompts or ideas i'd love to hear them!


	3. visions and hearts that coincide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in the midst of an argument, greg and pearl have a most unusual conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so hi. it's been a while since i updated, and i don't really have an excuse, except that i have snippets of the next chapter finished but not enough to upload. so then this conversation came up out of nowhere, and i ran with it. one of my favourite fanfiction tropes is the "pearl and greg have a heart to heart about love" trope. i dig it. especially with mystery girl now in the picture.
> 
> JUST TO CLARIFY: this fic isn't really chronological, and this chapter takes place before star's even begun to exist. in case you started to read it and got confused

As the stars were beginning to twinkle through a dusky purple sky, Greg awoke in a startled daze to the sound of brisk knocking on the side of his van.

“Greg!” exclaimed an impatient voice. “Greg, are you in there?”

It was... Pearl. Instantly, Greg's mind flew to a hundred different scenarios. Steven had been hurt during a mission. Aliens were invading Earth. Another one of his loud and brash relatives had sailed into town. Any of these were horrifying enough, but his immediate thoughts went to his son.

“Is Steven okay?” he burst out, flinging open the back doors without so much as running a comb through his hair. Still, he couldn't hear Amethyst panicking in the background, and Pearl wasn't a sobbing, trembling mess or hyperventilating while holding a lifeless Steven in her arms. So he supposed that was a good sign.

“Steven? Steven is fine.” Pearl heaved a sigh, but didn't look half as relieved as Greg now felt. She began to wring her hands. “This isn't about Steven.”

At that moment, the sound of a motorcycle engine started up, and Pearl visibly flinched. Greg leaned out of the van and noted a tall woman strapping a helmet onto her head. He caught sight of a few pink curls and felt his heart stop for a moment, before Pearl called out, “Sheena, where are you going?”

Ah, Sheena. Pearl's girlfriend of almost four years. He'd only interacted with her a handful of times, and each time her hair was a different colour, but the pink had thrown him for a loop. For a second she'd reminded him of... no, Steven had pleaded with him before they'd first met not to bring Rose up. Pearl was adamant that the two held very few similarities, and Greg could respect that.

Unlike Rose, Sheena tended to storm off when they were in the midst of an argument, which they appeared to be.

“I can't sit around waiting for you to grow up and talk things through with me, Pearl! You were the one who brought it up in the first place!”

“I-I just need time,” Pearl said desperately, and Sheena muttered something that could only be an expletive under her breath. “Sheena, wait!”

“If I keep waiting for you to make up your mind, I'll be in my grave before you've worked it all out.” Her tone was icy, and he winced as Pearl wilted before his eyes. “So if you don't mind, I'm going home and getting some sleep.”

She revved her engine and peeled out of there as fast as a bike could on the crumbly shoreline, and Greg sat in silence for a moment, trying to process what had just gone down. He'd bore witness to Pearl arguing with Rose a handful of times, especially towards the end, and normally he was the cause of these disagreements – whether it was Pearl being unhappy with Rose choosing to spend time with him, or Rose expressing disappointment about Pearl's attitude towards him. And, of course, Pearl and Sheena had argued before, although until now he'd only heard stories second hand from Steven. To say the least, he was concerned.

“Uh, is everything okay with you, Pearl?” he piped up nervously, as she continued to stand there fidgeting with her hands. She sucked in a breath.

“No, Greg, no, nothing is 'okay' with me right now.” She took this invitation to climb as gracefully as possible into the cramped confines of his van, and she made herself comfortable on a pile of sloppily folded clothes. “I fear I've made a horrible mistake with Sheena, and I was hoping for some... advice.”

Okay, now Greg had to be dreaming, or this was some kind of parallel universe. Pearl simply didn't ask for his advice, ever. Even though it had been a few years since setting aside their differences in Empire City, they were careful friends at best, and awkward co-guardians at worst. They were far from comfortable with asking advice off of each other, especially on the touchy subject of romantic relationships.

He must have looked shocked, because she sniffed and said glumly, “I know I'm the last person you would want to share romantic advice with, but I-I didn't know who else to talk to about this problem.”

“As a human, or as someone with experience dealing with giant pink-haired ladies?” he asked, his joke falling flat as she didn't so much as crack a hint of a smile.

“As a parent,” she said simply.

Oh boy.

“Is... is Sheena asking you to move in with her?” he guessed. “And you're conflicted about leaving Steven? Because he's almost legally an adult now, Pearl, I'm sure he would understand.”

She gave a dry, humourless laugh. “Really, Greg, if only it were that simple. I'm afraid I... gave Sheena some false hope, and now she's taking the issue to heart. I wish I could take it back, but I don't think she'll accept it.”

“I'm gonna need a little more to go off than that, Pearl.”

She sighed heavily and peered at her surroundings, purposefully avoiding his eyes.

“This van could use a thorough spring clean, and perhaps an air freshener to remove the odour of pizza boxes-”

“Pearl.”

She huffed and stared down at her hands. “If you must know-” And Greg figured, she'd already sat herself down in his van so at this point, it was his damn business to know, “-Sheena and I argued because, hypothetically, I created a theory that would enable us to have a child. If we so pleased.”

Greg stared.

“A child? Like a baby?”

“That's right. A baby, a baby of our own. It was silly – we were talking late into the night, and she asked me if there was a possibility of us ever having a family of our own some day. I said, the Crystal Gems are my family, but she meant children and, as an attempt at poor humour, I said it would only be possible if I were to shapeshift the appropriate parts for reproduction, but now... she's latched onto it.”

Pearl pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes tiredly. “Of course, I tried to backtrack immediately. She knows, about what happened to Rose. I said I couldn't go through that again, and she – she said I wouldn't have to! She said it would be so easy. I told her no, I wasn't going to do that again, and I just had to go to, to the person I thought would understand.”

“Me.” Greg absorbed this information, cracking open a can of beer as he went over it in his mind. “So Sheena wants to have a kid, and you don't.”

She shook her head.

“What I want isn't relevant, Greg. I can't lose someone else like I lost Rose. If Sheena was gone and it was my fault, I don't think I would make it another day.”

“But you said you'd theorised a way for it to work,” Greg pressed. “Explain it to me.”

Pearl stared off into space.

“If I were to carry a child to term, I would be forced to give up my gem and cease to exist as myself,” she said distantly. “I would cause Sheena and Steven a lot of grief, and the Crystal Gems would suffer without me. Why, the laundry wouldn't get done, Steven's nutrition would be awful and he wouldn't even have bedtimes enforced-”

“Pearl, you're rambling,” Greg said quickly, steering her away from the scenario she had conjured in her mind. She huffed slightly, but continued.

“Sheena doesn't have the necessary reproductive parts either, to impregnate my form, so it's out of the question anyway. But... then I realised what I was really doing was inserting myself and Sheena into your relationship with Rose. I realised that if the tables turned, if I were to shapeshift certain reproductive parts that Sheena lacked, I could play your role and give Sheena my seed.”

Greg blushed a little at the directness of that statement, and took a quick sip of his drink.

“I, uh... I see. But, can you even do that? Can a gem... create sperm?”

The very question felt wrong, like he had just said something far too personal, but Pearl barely batted an eye.

“Not in the human sense, no, but I could choose to impart genetic information from my gem during intercourse, that would interact with Sheena's body much like traditional human reproduction. It sounds complex, but it really isn't. Picture filling an empty milk bottle with orange juice instead. They are different, but they achieve the same purpose. By giving Sheena my seed instead, I would avoid having to give up my gem. In return, a purely human child with possible gem characteristics could be created.”

“I... kind of understand.” Greg frowned, fighting the urge to make a joke about how bad orange juice would taste on cereal. “So you came up with this theory, and now Sheena's latched onto it.”

“She always said she didn't believe in a nuclear family of two parents, preferably of differing genders, and a child. She didn't want to be one of those people, but ever since I flippantly mentioned this theory to her, I think it must have triggered a change of heart. I wish I knew what to do about it.”

Greg shrugged. “Well, a good place to start would be to figure out how you feel about it. Is it something that you want?”

Pearl stared down at her hands. “If only I knew the answer to that. I love Steven, and I loved being able to help raise him. I suppose it's selfish to feel like I've already been a mother for a while.”

“It's not,” Greg said quickly. “You and the gems helped to raise him. You three were the mothering role models he needed in his life. If Rose could see how wonderfully he's turned out, and how we all set aside our differences to raise him...”

“Yeah,” Pearl whispered. “She would be proud.”

“Is this something you want?” Greg repeated.

Pearl chewed her lip.

“I... I love Steven, and I cherished him. I wouldn't be opposed to that again, it's just... hard for me.”

“I know it is.”

They lapsed into an almost comfortable silence for a while, before Pearl said quietly, “When Rose told me she was to have Steven, I didn't understand. I couldn't understand how important a bundle of human cells could really be, if a baby was really somehow better than... than Rainbow Quartz.”

It stung for her, Greg knew, since in her eyes it was a choice Rose had made between Pearl and Greg, rather than an entirely different third option.

“Pearl...” he began.

“But I understand now,” she said quickly, lacing her fingers together as she so often did when she was deep in thought. “It was the closest way for her to achieve fusion with you. She wanted to be close to you, the way she was with me as Rainbow Quartz. I was too blinded by jealousy to see it, but now that I love a human myself, I feel her ache. If there was some way to fuse with Sheena, I would do it in a heartbeat. And to her, a child... that's fusion, isn't it?”

Greg stared up at the murky sky thoughtfully.

“Garnet told me fusion was communication, and love, and a connection between two beings. A child is all of those things, and so much more, you know? Steven isn't just a connection between me and Rose, he's tied to all of you, and he ties me to you guys as well.”

“I want that,” Pearl whispered. “More than I cared to admit to myself.”

“Then,” Greg said with an uneasy grin, “isn't that your answer?”

She climbed out of his van, took a few steps towards the house, then turned back to Greg.

“I need to call her,” she said simply, desperately. He nodded.

“You two need to talk this through properly.”

As Pearl flashed him a rare smile and said quietly, “Thank you, Greg,” he felt as though he and Pearl were already on the road to becoming closer. After so long of pushing each other away, if all went to plan, Pearl would soon understand the position he had been in, the concerns and the protectiveness and the pride of calling a child her own.

As she made her way back to the temple, a spring of relief and urgency in each graceful leap, Greg finished the last of his beer and watched the moon.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the ending feels a bit abrupt, but pearl is a very spontaneous person, and it always feels like pearl and greg are bad at understanding each other's social cues, so it makes sense to me that pearl would breeze out of greg's van the moment she came to a conclusion in her mind, while he's sat there like oh. okay.
> 
> some things that i have planned for this fic, in no particular order:  
> -star refusing to eat baby food, and sheena alluding it to pearl's hatred of food  
> -pearl and sheena coming up with baby names for star before she's born  
> -star teething
> 
> and these are just the incomplete snippets i've been working on, so if you have any ideas, hit me up in the comments! thanks for anyone still reading this!


	4. baby names

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which pearl ponders about rose, nora, and the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short update after like 6 months since my last update!!!!  
> fluff-turned-angst because WHY NOT. ever since the nora episode first leaked i've been thinking about a baby names conversation for pearl and sheena, because star seems a lot like a spur of the moment name than one they would casually pick out and run with. i wanted to explore why the other names wouldn't fit, and... this happened. because what's some good mystery pearl angst without rose somehow worming her way into things? (shrug)

Things were going pretty darned well, all things considered.

It was warm, for that time of year, and Pearl found herself practically skipping to and from the warp pads that linked the house to the stone hand. It was perfect laundry weather, and much to her glee, the musty smell had left Steven's old baby clothes after the second wash. Being left in Greg's storage unit for years, she was surprised they weren't damp or moth-eaten, but by some miracle they'd been hidden away under some old alien erotica novels.

Sheena had insisted they could buy some fresh clothes, of course, but Greg had insisted there was no use them going to waste, and besides, Rose had helped pick them out back in the day. Even if he left it unsaid, Pearl knew what he was implying; it was Rose's gift to them, in a strange twist of fate. Pearl had spent far too much time recently staring up at Rose's painting, wondering how she would react knowing Pearl was soon to become a mother herself. She wondered if Rose would be excited, or jealous, or distant... if she would feel anything at all. And would Pearl want her to feel one way or another?

She wasn't getting into that state of mind now. Not when the sun was shining, the baby clothes smelled fresh, and Sheena was on the phone with someone from the hospital, sounding very happy indeed.

As she warped back into the house, holding the basket of fresh baby clothes at her hip, she caught sight of Sheena hanging up the phone and practically sailing over to the calendar with glee.

“You're sure in a good mood,” Pearl acknowledged with a smile of her own, taking a seat and beginning to fold. Something about the smell of detergent made a calm wash over her, and she watched Sheena in amusement as she scrambled for a pencil.

“At the scan next week we can find out the baby's sex,” Sheena said with a grin, writing a reminder on the calender before sitting down beside Pearl. “It might be a good time to start thinking about names.”

Pearl's eyebrows shot up. “How on Earth will they be able to to figure out the sex of the baby before they're born? We had no way of knowing whether Steven would be a boy or a girl beforehand! Even Garnet's future vision was no match for the unpredictability of human nature!”

Sheena blinked. “Did Greg never take Rose to see a doctor?”

Pearl stared back, shaking her head slowly. “I don't think so.”

“Well. At hospitals they have ultrasound machines and they use a gel to do something with the frequencies, or something. And they can see the baby on a monitor, and if they look real close they can tell if they have a baby prick or not.”

“That's incredible! If not a very crude way of putting it.” Pearl laced her fingers between Sheena's. “Getting to know our baby before they're born... what an amazing experience.”

Sheena's smile widened, and she leaned over to lightly peck Pearl's lips.

“I love you.”

Pearl's cheeks darkened, and her eyes softened.

“Why, I love you too.”

“So, names? I was thinking something kind of old fashioned, but also new. Like the both of us.”

“That would be nice, yes. I did always think that Steven's name sounded very smart, but also sweet, so perhaps we could play off of that,” Pearl agreed with a smile of her own.

“So, for a boy, something like Jacob, or Nathan. And for a girl...”

As Sheena began listing a few names she'd seen on a baby naming website, a single name entered Pearl's mind like a whisper.

“Nora...”

“Nora?” Sheena blinked. “That's a cute name, sure. It sentimental, or something? You have a strange look on your face.”

“Oh. Well... I guess, it's because it was a name picked out for Steven, should he have been a girl. It was the name Greg and Rose picked out.”

“I see.” Pearl felt the soft weight of Sheena's head against her shoulder, and exhaled shakily. “I'm sure Greg wouldn't mind us using that. If you're okay with it, I mean.”

“It's just... well, for them, the name was never meant to be, so...”

She didn't fully understand why it felt so bittersweet to say it out loud. It was a perfectly respectable name, so why did it leave such a sour taste in her mouth?

“Yeah. We can repurpose it for our own baby. It seems fitting.” Sheena hugged her close, and Pearl absently ran a hand over the smooth rise in Sheena's belly. Their baby, their Nora or Jacob or Nathan. From the very beginning, if the baby was a girl and they called her Nora, Pearl knew that it would come with the weight of so many expectations, things she could remember expecting of Steven during his infancy. To put that kind of pressure on yet another child... it filled her with dread. And yet, she couldn't say a word.

Sheena helped fold the rest of the clothes, giggling helplessly imagining an infant Steven wearing them, and while Pearl laughed along and told stories (even proudly announcing how she'd gotten various stains out of certain onesies) there was this overwhelming sense of dread building up in the pit of her gem.

When the ultrasound technician proudly announced, “You're having a baby girl!” it almost felt like a punishment, looming over her. Sheena was beaming from ear to ear, squeezing Pearl's hand tightly, and Pearl was staring straight ahead at the shadowy outline of a baby on a dark screen, mouthing to it: “I'm sorry.”

Baby Nora was going to be adored by her family. By her mothers, talking about her adoringly before she'd even begun to exist; by Garnet and Amethyst, who were doing their best to construct cribs from scratch with varying success rates; by Steven and Greg, who exchanged uncertain looks when Sheena had revealed their chosen name for the newest Crystal Gem. Pearl knew then for certain that this was a mistake. That Nora, whoever she may end up being, would always remind them of the future that never was, the baby that could have been, and that in the end, Rose never _knew_ whether she had a Nora or a Steven.

Still, every time she tried to put these worries into words, when she lay beside Sheena spooning her to sleep each night, she found she couldn't find the right thing to say. So, resting her hands where she was certain she'd felt a baby kick mere moments ago, she would say nothing.

(When their little girl was finally born on a cold rainy night, her half-opened eyes were as dark as the cosmos, and they both knew without a doubt in their mind that she was never a Nora. Pearl found herself thanking the stars every night that their baby never would be a part of Rose's legacy that would haunt her until the end of days.)

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have several baby snippets with star, but not enough for a chapter, so bear with me. next chapter WILL ACTUALLY INCLUDE STAR I PROMISE


End file.
